view - Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health

THE FATTY ACID PROFILE OF SUBCUTANEOUS AND ABDOMINAL FAT IN DAIRY COWS
overall information in a large set of variables into a smaller number of linear
combinations of orthogonal variables called principles components (PC). The analysis
sequentially minimizes the remaining variation in the multivariate data. As a result, the
PCA condenses the information into loadings that show the relative importance of the
original variables in accounting for the variability in the observed data, which is shown
in a loading plot. Finally, the distribution of the observed data across the PC is shown by
the scores in a score plot (Desnoyers et al., 2011). Each object (cow x compartment) was
analysed to be a data vector of 16 variables (14:0, 14:1 cis-9, 16:0, 16:1 cis-9, 18:0, 18:1
cis-9, 18:1 trans-11, 18:2 cis-9, trans-11, 18:2n-6, 18:3n-3, SFA, MUFA, PUFA, C14-ratio,
C16-ratio, C18-ratio). Compartment effects are evaluated for the individual PC scores for
PC1 and PC2 with the same MIXED procedure as reported for the individual FA.
RESULTS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF BLOOD PLASMA
The descriptive statistics of the blood plasma AST, BHBA, GGT and NEFA
concentration is represented in Table 1.
Table 1. Blood plasma metabolite concentrations in dairy cows suffering
from a left displacement of the abomasum
Mean ± SD Median Range
NEFA, mmol/L 1.28 ± 0.61 1.16 0.21 – 2.93
BHBA, mmol/L 2.48 ± 1.94 2.01 0.34 – 8.40
GGT, IU/L 1 205 ± 92 187 66 – 557
AST, IU/L 2 39 ± 46 30 6 – 295
1
Gamma-glutamyltransferase
2
Aspartate aminotransferase
The NEFA concentration in blood plasma averaged 1.28 ± 0.61 mmol/L (mean ±
SD) with a range from 0.21 to 2.93 mmol/L. The BHBA concentration in blood plasma
was 2.48 ± 1.94 mmol/L (mean ± SD) with a range from 0.34 to 8.40 mmol/L.
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